Arch support



V. MlRlZlO lARCH SUPPORT Jung 10.*, 1924.

Filed Dec. 5. 1922 Patented June l0, 1924,

Ynarran sraras earaer 7 i' Letee VINCENZO MIRZIO, 0F NEW YORK; N. Y.

, v i ARCH sorroar. f u f Application iled December 5, 1922. Serial No.605,129.

To e177 whom t may concern:

Be .it known that I, VINCENzo MrRrZro, a subject of the King of Italy,and a resident of New York, in the county and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Arch Supports, of whichthe following is a/specification.

My invention relates to a support for the arch of the foot andparticularly to that class of arch supports that are inserted into theshoe and is a separate article and a part of the shoe.

It is a well known fact that a great deal of pain and annoyance isexperienced by the users of the arch supports in adjusting them andadapting same to the foot, the frequent result being that of itsdiscard, and to relieve the foot of its infirmity other styles are used.

In my practice I have found that a rigid` and fixed arch support cannotbe used in all cases. A heavy person will need a stronger and more firmsupport than a lighter person. A person having a badly broken down archwill need a softer and more yielding support than a person with aslightly broken arch. Y

To insure these requirements and to provide a support that is flexible,is the object of my invention.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown an example embodying theprinciple stated, and in this drawing like reference characters indicatecorresponding parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1, is a perspective view of my invention,

Figure 2, is a top plan view,

Figure 3, is a longitudinal sectional view of the form of device shownin Figures 1, 2, with the addition of lacing straps applied thereto, and

Figure 4, is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing more clearlythe details of the fastenings for the longitudinal springs.

Referring to details in the drawing:

The body 1, is made of any suitable material preferably leather, thesaid material being light but of sufficient body to have a certaindegree of rigidity, and may be made of any desired shape and contour.

'Lip 2, is adapted to fit and support the inside of foot arch, and lip3, is adapted to fit and support the outside of the foot arch. A leafspring 4, properly tted in a transversal groove 5 atthe bottom of thebodyl, and with rivets 6, 7, properly fastened' to the underside of thelips 2, 3, respectively, Figs. 1 3) cooperates with said lips 2, 3, tohold the foot from sliding tovone side or the other, A leaf spring 8, isproperly fitted in a transversal groove 9, on the underface of the body1, and aids to support one end of the lip 2, and is properly fastenedthereto.

Rubber cushions 10, 11 are respectively glued at the heel part, and atthe front part of the support, as shown in Fig. 3, thus insuring abetter rest for the pressure points of the foot. l

Longitudinal leaf springs 12, 13, are properly fitted to the curve ofthe arch support andere secured to the under face of the 'same by meansof the rivets 14C- 15. The

ends of springs 12, 13, are thinned down and cut in a U or V shape tofit around the body of rivets 16-17 respectively, the heads, of whichhammered or pressed over said ends, eliminate likelihood of injuring thesole of the shoe, whenever any deflection of the springs is caused bythe persons weight.

The springs 12, 13 besides balancing the foot, absorb the shock causedby the imp-act of the foot in walking, and thus bring a great relief tothe imfirmity of the arch. Both faces of the body are covered with athin layer 18, preferably of leather.

A band or tab 19, of strong cloth may be attached to said support andby' means of openings 20, can be laced in order to correct any minordefects of the foot, or act as brace in cases of sprains.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An arch support comprising a body portion having a lip extensioncurving up wardly at each side of the arch portion, spring meansextending transversely of the body and secured at the ends to said eX- Ytensions, a separate spring arranged longitudinally of the support andconforming to the contour of the arch, means for securing said spring tothe support, and separate means with which the ends of the spring areengaged, said last named means receiving the thrust of the spring in thedeflection thereof and preventing injury to the sole of the shoe inwhich the support is positioned.

2. An arch support comprising a body portion composed. of leather orsuitable material and having` lip extensions at opposite sides of theinstep portion, a spring eXtending transversely of the body portion fromone side of the saine to the other and attached to the lips adjacenttheir upper edges, said spring partaking of the shape of the bodyportion, a second spring attached to one ot said lips in spaced relationto the first mentioned springy and extending to a point midway of theloods7 and conforming to the shape of the bodg7 portion, spacedlongitudinal springs also conforming to the Contour of the arch7 andfastening mea-ns for attaching said springs at the ends thereof'v` the'fastening means fon said springs aforementioned preventing longitudinaldisplacement of the springs when pressure is npplied thereto.

ln Witness Whereoii" l have hereunto set 20 my hand.

VINCENZO MUHZ

